Best Friends Forever Right?
by clovergrl
Summary: Another BxE story where they grow up as best friends. Mostly about their lives together with their friends and family surrounding them. Not an exciting summary but oh, well! All human.
1. Cookies

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or Twilight!

**Cookies**

"Come on, Bella!"

Edward Cullen was Bella Swan's best friend. The two were five-years-old and had known each other literally since birth. They were born in the same hospital on the same day in a little town called Forks, Washington. In fact, their basinets were right next to each in the hospital nursery. It was outside the nursery window that Charlie Swan and Carlisle Cullen met and doted over their tiny bundles of joy. Bella and Edward's fates were pretty much sealed from the moment the two dads said, "Which one's yours?" striking an instant friendship between the Swan and Cullen clans.

Although the town was small, Bella and Edward's parents only knew of each other. Both sets of parents were fairly well-known in the town. Bella's mom, Renee, was a kindergarten teacher and her father, Charlie, was the chief of police. They lived a fairly modest but comfortable life in a modest three-bedroom house complete with a white picket fence. Edward's mom, Esme, was an interior designer whose influence was evident all throughout the small town and his father, Carlisle, was a world-renowned doctor who wanted to give back to the small town in which he grew up. While Renee and Charlie had not seen much outside the state of Washington, Esme and Carlisle had traveled the world. Esme's eye for interior design made her sought-after by some very famous and influential people, and Carlisle having graduated at the top of his class from Johns Hopkins made him the toast of the medical community. However, it was in Forks that the two decided to settle, albeit very lavishly, in a secluded home made of glass windows, rooms galore, and plenty of open space outside to roam around.

It was outside the Cullen household that Edward and Bella were currently playing tag with Bella's older brother, Emmett, and Edward's little sister, Alice. Bella, not being exactly athletically inclined, was lagging behind Edward trying to get away from Emmett. Emmett was the complete opposite of Bella. He was one year older than her and all brawn. Charlie Swan knew that Emmett would make him a proud parent of a natural-born athlete. Pure instinct told Emmett that Bella would be his easiest target. Edward was scrawny, but the kid could run fast. Alice was the tiniest person he had ever met, but she was tricky and could dodge Emmett in a split-second. Bella, however, was just clumsy – pure and simple.

"Edward! He's gonna get me!"

Little Alice giggled from across the lawn while Edward yelled out encouraging words. Then, just like that, Bella tripped on air. Bella was sprawled out, face-down. Emmett had to stop quickly to avoid running over her.

"Tag, you're it, Bella! Ha-ha!"

Emmett bent down and tagged his little sister lightly on the head while chuckling.

"I knew you'd fall down some time, Belly! I'm almost embarrassed by how easy it is to get you. Are you sure you're my sister? You'd think we weren't related. You're such a klutz!"

Bella rolled onto her back, twigs in her hair, face red, and gasping for air.

"Emmy, why do you always have to pick on me? Pick on someone your own size. Oh, wait. There's no one here your own size because you're as big as a grizzly bear!"

At this Emmett growled, pretending to be a grizzly bear and attacked Bella.

"I'm gonna eat you, Belly Bean! I'm hungry for some Belly Bean! ROWR!"

Alice giggled lightly, prancing over to Edward.

"Are we playing a new game now?" Alice asked in her tinkling voice.

Edward was staring at Emmett and Bella slightly worried that Emmett would crush Bella to death.

"Umm…I think we're done playing tag at least. It's probably time for a snack. Mom said she'd make cookies."

At the mention of cookies, Emmett's head shot up.

"Cookies! Well, what are we still doing out here? Come on, Bells! Get up! COOKIES!"

With that, off Emmett went without bothering to help his little sister up and definitely without even a second glance at her. He was already by the front door chanting the word "cookies" over and over again. Bella was still lying on the ground trying to catch her breath when Edward and Alice wandered over each grabbing one her arms and hauling her up.

"Gee. I see now what's more important to Emmett than his own sister. Cookies!"

Bella actually looked shocked, but Edward and Alice just looked at her like she was naïve.

"Belly, it's Emmett," Alice said in between giggles. "He loves his cookies."

For a four-year-old, Alice was pretty darn observant. Alice skipped off towards the house looking like a tiny pixie.

"Alice likes her cookies, too, I guess," Edward said while pulling some twigs out of Bella's hair. He looked her over making sure she was bleeding anywhere. Rarely did a day go by when Bella didn't need a new band-aid. The sad thing was Bella fainted at the sight of blood. Heck, she fainted at the smell of blood. For her, it was pretty ironic considering how often she bled.

"Um, Bells, you might not want to look at your arm. And…uh…hold your breath."

Because Edward told Bella not to look at her arm, obviously Bella looked. With that, Bella's legs gave out.

"You might want to get my daddy, Eddie," Bella whimpered.

Edward helped Bella lay down on the ground and ran off to find Chief Swan while muttering, "I'm going tie Emmett down, make him watch me and Bella eat all of his cookies, and then kill him! The dummy. If he were still out here he could help me carry Bells back inside. Cookies! He's supposed to look after Bella! He's her brother!"

As Edward entered the house to the smell of cookies, he looked over to the living room and was completely baffled. His father, the normally graceful and classy man, and Chief Swan, the normally reserved and shy man, were playing _Dance Dance Revolution_! And badly! They were both stumbling over their feet while his mom and Mrs. Swan were shaking their heads and laughing at the two men. Alice was skipping in circles around them giggling while nibbling on a cookie, and Emmett was of course stuffing his face with cookies completely unaware of what was going on around him in complete and absolute bliss. Edward wished Bella were here to see this. Aw, man. Bella!

"Erm…Chief Swan?!? You might want to carry Bella inside. She cut her arm and she's bleeding. I would've carried her in, but I'm not really strong enough, yet."

Edward seemed almost embarrassed at admitting this. It wasn't that Bella weighed that much. Edward was just really scrawny and short, but what do you expect? He's five!

"It's ok, son," Charlie said and patted Edward on the head. "I'll get her," he said as he was already heading out the door.

"I'll go get the first aid kit," Carlisle said.

"Oooh! Maybe you should use the Sesame Street band-aids, daddy!" Alice said laughing. "You can put a Cookie Monster band-aid on Belly's boo-boo! It's Emmett's fault anyway!"

Everyone looked over at Emmett who was still stuffing his face. After a full minute went by, Emmett finally noticed that everyone was staring at him and said, "What did I do?" through a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie. Edward just shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose while thinking, "_This is the guy that's supposed to be setting an example for us _younger_ kids?_"

Esme and Renee just shook their heads while smiling, and Renee very quickly removed the plate of cookies from Emmett's reach. She took one cookie from the plate and handed it to Edward while Emmett looked at the cookies longingly.

"Hey! Where's Bells?" Emmett suddenly yelled just now realizing that his little sister was missing.

"Outside bleeding all over the place, Emmett," Edward said in disdain.

Finally, a guilty expression clouded Emmett's face as he realized what all the commotion was about while he was eating his cookies. "_Mmm…cookies!" _Emmett thought, and just like that all thoughts of Bella's injury were out of his mind again quickly replaced by cookies dancing in his head.

Chief Swan entered the warm house carrying Bella whose face was buried in his shoulder trying to smell anything but blood. He gently set Bella down in a kitchen chair next to Emmett while chuckling and said, "No worse than normal. Just a cut!"

Edward took the chair on the other side of Bella and watched his father clean the wound and gently place a Cookie Monster band-aid on it. With the blood out of sight, Bella looked over at Emmett and yelled, "You left me outside! For cookies!"

"Aww, Bells! Cookies! What did you expect?"

Emmett only looked slightly guilty when he said this. The adults and Alice giggled and Edward once again shook his head in disgust. Bella looked down at her arm and saw the Cookie Monster band aid. Alice noticed and said proudly, "It was my idea, Belly!"

Edward grabbed a couple of cookies from the plate, took Bella's uninjured arm, and led her outside to the porch swing. They sat in the swing with their cookies in their tiny hands while gently swinging back and forth.

"Thanks for getting my daddy and getting me a cookie, Eddie," Bella said quietly.

"No problem, Bells. You're my best friend," Edward said.

"Forever?" Bella questioned while looking over at Edward shyly.

"Forever," Edward said with a nod.


	2. First Day of School and New Friends

Here's the second chapter. I'm not really sure if anyone actually likes this story or not. Quite a few hits but only 1 review so far. It's my first Twilight story. It might suck but I can't tell. Hit the button at the bottom and let me know if I should continue or not. It won't hurt my feelings if you hate it.

Oh! Thanks, 2cool4school for the review!

**First Day of School and New Friends**

Alice looked over at Bella and Edward forlornly. It was the first day of kindergarten for the two five-year olds. They were standing in front of the school each holding their respective parents' hands. Alice was really going to miss playing with the two of them today. Even though Bella and Edward were best friends, Alice considered Bella her best friend. Alice thought that Bella was so much fun even though she was really quiet and shy except around Edward. It was so funny to watch Bella falling all the time and yelling at Emmett. The best part of being around Bella was playing dress-up, but Bella never really seemed happy about that. In fact, she seemed quite annoyed. Alice had no idea why. Dress up was so much fun!

For their part, Bella and Edward looked like they wanted to run away…far away. They both looked at all the other students running around the playground and then up at their parents.

"Daddy? I don't think this is a good idea," Bella stuttered.

Charlie crouched down to look at Bella eye-to-eye. "Aww, Bells. Don't worry about it. Your mom will be right across the hall and you'll see Emmett at lunchtime and recess! And if any of the other kids pick on you, just tell them your dad has a gun!"

"Charlie Swan! You did not just tell your daughter to scare kids with your gun!" Renee yelled while the Cullen parents laughed.

Emmett walked over and got in between Charlie and Bella throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Belly Bean, now remember what I taught you. Just a quick punch to the gut if anyone picks on you and remember to not to keep your thumb tucked inside your fist."

"Emmett Swan! You're just as bad as your dad!" Renee yelled again. "If your teacher gives me a bad report on you today, no more cookies for a month!" That got Emmett to shut up pretty quickly.

"Well, good luck with class today! See you guys at lunch!" With that, Emmett was running off to find his first grade classroom.

"Guess he doesn't need his mommy and daddy to walk him to his first day of class anymore, huh?" Charlie said chuckling. He looked back at Bella and said, "What do you say, kid? Ready to brave the world of kindergarten? It won't be so bad. I promise. You get snacks, a nap, lunch, and recess! Man, I wish I could go back to kindergarten!"

"_I_ wanna go to kindergarten, _too_!" Alice suddenly yelled out. Then she threw her tiny little arms around Edward's waist and started sobbing. "I don't want you to leave me all alone!"

Edward looked around and saw other kids and their parents staring at them. The little girls and their mothers all ooh'd and aww'd and stared at Edward like he was even cuter than little puppies and kittens. You could even almost see little dream bubbles pop up over the mothers' heads with an adult sized Edward who looked suspiciously like Carlisle marrying their daughters who looked suspiciously like their mothers. Esme also noticed the look on the mothers' faces and threw an arm around Carlisle's waist grinning while Carlisle chuckled dazzling all the mothers…and some of their daughters. Edward blushed and tried to remove Alice's arms from his waist, but she tightened her death grip. Edward settled for patting her on the head and said, "Alice, you'll see me at 3! Besides, you start pre-school next week. You'll have a lot of fun there!"

Edward and Bella didn't attend pre-school. Instead, they mostly stayed home with Edward's mom unless she had a client to meet. During Esme's meetings, they were off to daycare at the hospital where Carlisle worked. Esme and Carlisle decided to enroll Alice in pre-school so that she wouldn't be so bored without Edward and Bella around. For the first four years of Alice's short life, she never went one day without seeing Edward and Bella. The Cullens and Swans even spent Christmas together!

Carlisle finally stepped in and unlatched Alice's arms from Edward's waist, but she quickly threw herself at Bella almost knocking her down. Edward had to throw out an arm to help Bella stay on her feet.

"Alice! I'm coming over right after school! Your mom is picking me, Edward, and Emmett up, so my mom can stay and finish up some work. We're even having dinner together! We'll play then. I promise!" Bella loved Alice. Edward might be her best friend, but Alice was her best girl friend.

Alice backed away from Bella slowly sniffling. "Ok, kids. Let's get inside." Carlisle finally said.

The small group quickly found Bella and Edward's classroom. Renee looked at Bella and Edward and said, "I have to go meet my students now. If there are any problems, come across the hall and find me. Bella, be good for Mrs. Masen, ok?" She bent down and gave both Bella and Edward a hug and scurried off to meet her own set of nervous kindergarteners.

Edward and Bella walked into their classroom side-by-side and saw complete pandemonium. Kids were running around screaming while a nice looking lady stood in the middle of the room greeting one set of parents and their frightened looking daughter.

Charlie looked at Edward and Bella and said, "Come on you two. Let's go say hi to Mrs. Masen. You've already met her before, remember? You saw her last year when you came with me to pick up Emmett? She's been a good friend to your mom since she started working here a couple of years ago. Look! That little girl looks pretty nervous, too. Maybe you two can be friends with her."

Mrs. Masen looked over and saw Charlie, Bella, and the Cullens. "Hey, Charlie! Hey, Bella and Edward! I've been so excited to see the two of you in my class," she said bending down to give Bella and Edward hugs. She looked at Esme and Carlisle and introduced herself before turning back to Bella and Edward. "Bella, Edward, this is Angela," she said pointing to the frightened girl they saw earlier. "She's going to be your new classmate. Why don't the three of you go over to that table and color? There's also some clay if you'd rather sculpt something!"

Bella and Edward looked over at Angela who whispered, "Hi," to them. They both said a quiet "hi" back to her and turned Charlie, Esme, Carlisle, and the sniffling Alice.

"I guess we'll see you later then," Edward said trying to be brave. Bella just gave her father a puppy-dog glance that read, "How could you abandon me here?" and tried not to cry.

Charlie, Esme, and Carlisle gave both kids a quick hug, wished them luck, and told them they'd see the two kids soon. Edward and Bella then turned to Alice who threw herself at Bella and then Edward. All the little girls in the room ooh'd and aww'd once more causing Edward to turn bright red and Charlie, Esme, Carlisle, and Mrs. Masen to laugh.

"Ok, that's enough Alice. I'll see you after school," Edward said patting her on the head and then lightly pushing her away. Alice threw herself at Carlisle's legs and he bent down to scoop her up.

"You'll have fun today, Alice. Your mom said she'd take you out for ice cream when Bella, Edward, and Emmett get out of school today to celebrate surviving the first day of school!" Carlisle tried to soothe his little girl's sorrow, and Alice only managed to crack a tiny smile through her tear-filled eyes.

"Hey, Alice. I have to go to the mall later to pick up a dress that I had to get altered. Maybe we can look for a new dress for you!" Esme said knowing that Alice would perk right up. Just like that, Alice's face lit up with a bright smile.

"Ooh, YAY! I already know what dress I want. It's pink and…" Alice was chattering away about her dream dress, but no one was really paying attention. Bella and Edward looked over at Angela and pointed to the table with the coloring books and crayons.

"Wanna go color, Angela?" Bella asked quietly. Angela nodded and the three ventured off to the tiny, empty table in the corner. Bella and Edward pretty much decided that they liked Angela enough. She wasn't overly outgoing or anything but neither were they. Hopefully, once they got to know each other a little better, Angela would open up a bit.

Two little girls wandered over to the trio's table and approached Edward. "Hiya!" said the little blonde girl closest to him.

Edward eyed the girl warily and responded with a gentle "hello."

"Wasn't that you hugging the little girl earlier? The one that looked like a little doll?" said the brunette girl standing next to the blonde.

"_Man! They're going to tease me now!" _Edward thought. "Yeah," Edward said slowly.

"That's soooo cuuute!" Both girls responded at the same time. Edward and Bella inwardly groaned.

"Wanna play house? I can be the mommy, you can be the daddy, and Jessica can be the baby! I'm Lauren by the way. Lauren Mallory. And this is Jessica," said the little blonde girl pointing to the little brunette.

"Well, I don't really wanna play house. I'm coloring with Bella and Angela," said Edward pointing at his best friend and his new friend.

"But why? They're so plain! And look at them! They're not even wearing pretty dresses like us! You're way too good for them!" Lauren said eyeing Bella and Angela with disgust.

"Yeah. Look at her," said Jessica pointing at Bella. "She's wearing holey jeans and a hoodie. She looks like she hasn't even brushed her hair. And she's so pale! She looks like a vampire or something!"

Bella shrank down in her chair and blushed. The truth was she _had_ brushed her hair, but she had picked up Edward's habit of running her hands through her hair when she was nervous. Let's just say she was _really_ nervous today and her hair resembled a haystack.

"Leave her alone," Angela said quietly.

"What did you say?" Lauren shrieked.

"I said, 'Leave her alone,'" Angela said in a much louder voice surprising both Bella and Edward.

Edward finally spoke up to defend Bella. "That pale girl with the holey jeans and hoodie is my best friend. I think you should leave now. I don't want to play with you and I never will!"

"You just made a big mistake," Lauren sneered grabbing Jessica's arm and flaunted over with a flick of her hair.

"Thanks, guys," Bella said smiling. Angela and Edward smiled at each other and then at Bella. The three continued with the coloring and began a quiet conversation until Mrs. Masen called the class to attention and began teaching.

Edward, Bella, and Angela had a blast in class. Mrs. Masen brought out the guitar and they sang songs and did an art project. Class flew by and suddenly it was lunchtime.

The three friends filed in line to walk to the cafeteria. On the other side of the hall, Renee's kindergarten class was also walking in a line to the cafeteria. Bella looked at her mom who winked at her. "How's class so far, Bells?" Renee asked quietly.

"It was ok. Made a new friend, got teased, sang a song, and colored," Bella replied.

"Teased?" Renee asked in a worried tone.

"Yup. I'm ok, though. Don't worry. Angela and Edward saved me," Bella said happily. "Oh! This is Angela," she said pointing in front of her. "Angela, that's my mom. She teaches the other kindergarten class."

"It's nice to meet you, Angela! Maybe you can come over some time and have a sleepover with Bella," Renee said smiling at Angela.

"Nice to meet you, too," Angela responded quietly smiling back.

As they waited to enter the cafeteria, Renee told Bella that she would see her on the playground during recess, and Bella walked with Angela and Edward to line up for food. All three picked pizza, an apple, and a pudding cup along with a tiny carton of milk to wash it all down. As Bella was reaching for her carton of milk, she saw Emmett walking in. She was about to wave at him when a little, pudgy blonde boy walked up and snatched her milk carton away. Emmett was already walking quickly to Bella to defend her when someone yelled, "James Hunter! You better give her milk back!" Bella turned and saw a little blonde girl with blue eyes standing with her hands on her hips looking angry. That was someone Bella definitely did _not _want to mess with!

Meanwhile, Emmett had reached the group and was standing next to Edward with a look of complete awe on his face. Edward heard Emmett mutter, "Angel," under his breath. Edward could _kind of_ see what Emmett meant. The girl was pretty and her golden hair seemed to glow under the fluorescent lighting of the cafeteria giving her a preternatural quality, but the sneer on the girl's face made her look more like a tiny devil than an angel. Edward was already kind of scared of the girl but would never admit it. He didn't want Emmett to make fun of him for being scared of a girl.

The milk thief, James, quickly returned Bella's milk and slowly backed away, but there was something sinister about the look he gave both the blonde stranger and Bella. Emmett cleared his throat and James looked at Emmett instantly frightened by the sheer size of the first grader. "I think it's time for you to walk away now," Emmett growled. James whimpered and scampered off.

"Rosalie Hale," the little blonde girl said confidently while sticking out her hand for Bella to shake.

"B-b-b-ella S-s-swan," Bella stuttered completely scared and shaking Rosalie's hand.

Suddenly, a loud booming voice was heard. "Rosie-posey! Already scaring off the little kindy-garteners?" Everyone turned to see a blonde boy standing next to Emmett. He was about the same height as Emmett but lanky.

"Jasper Hale! Stop calling me Rosie-posey! You know I hate when you call me that!" Rosalie screeched.

"Aww…Rose. You know I'm just kidding around. Just like when you call me Jazzy!" Jasper said and then suddenly his eyes got really big as if he didn't mean to say Rosalie's nickname for him out loud.

"Jazzy!? Ha! That's so funny, dude!" Emmett said clapping Jasper on the shoulder. Anyone else would have buckled under Emmett's weight, but Jasper just grunted and rolled his eyes like he was used to Emmett's overly enthusiastic affection. "I'm Emmett by the way. Thanks for saving my sister," he said to Rosalie.

"So you're Emmett," Rosalie said eyeing Emmett. "Jazzy's always talking about all the trouble you two get into. Mom and Dad think you're a bad influence."

Bella, Edward, and Angela slowly backed away from the Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie hoping to make a quick get-away so that they could find a quiet table in a corner somewhere. A lot of students were already staring at the small group and the three did not want any more attention. Emmett noticed them getting away and bellowed, "Hey, not so fast, little munchkins! Let's all eat lunch together!"

Emmett didn't really want to eat lunch with his little sister and her friends, but he noticed the look on that kid James' face as he eyed Bella. He knew that kid was up to no good and there was no way Bella would ever defend herself. "_Maybe Rosalie will rub off on her," _Emmett thought.

Edward, Bella, and Angela headed towards a table in the back corner when Emmett stopped them. "Hey, guys. Not back there! Let's take this one!" The table Emmett was pointing to was dead center of the cafeteria where everyone could see them. Bella blushed, Edward grimaced, and Angela ducked her head quickly hiding her face with her hair.

"_Man, they're wimpy,_" Rosalie thought. "I like this table," Rosalie agreed aloud.

The six new friends ate lunch together and talked. Well, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie did most of the talking. Bella, Edward, and Angela mostly listened politely. They did find out that that Rosalie was in Renee's kindergarten class and that she really liked Renee. Bella and Emmett beamed when she said that.

Jasper, who was sitting next to Bella, asked her quietly how she was liking Mrs. Masen's class. Bella had met Jasper a couple of times and thought he was pretty nice. She had no idea how he ended up befriending Emmett. Jasper was normally pretty reserved unlike Emmett who liked to show off, but when he was around Emmett he tended to open up quite a bit. Apparently, Emmett gave Jasper a quiet sense of confidence. Or maybe Jasper just figured Emmett would always look like a bigger fool than him. Either way, Jasper was Emmett's best friend.

"It's ok. Mrs. Masen is really nice. We didn't do much, but Daddy said there's not a whole lot to kindergarten," Bella replied.

Just then, Mrs. Masen walked up to the group to let them know that it was time to head back to the classroom.

"Why hello, Mrs. Masen! How are you this fine day?" Emmett said batting his eyelashes and then bowed.

Bella and Edward groaned while Mrs. Masen said, "I'm doing quite well today, Mr. Swan. You're charming as usual. Still wreaking havoc, though? I see your partner in crime, Mr. Hale, sitting next to you."

Jasper tipped his head and said, "Hello, ma'am."

Mrs. Masen laughed and sent the kids to empty their trays and get in line to go back to class.

"See you guys at recess, munchkins!" Emmett yelled.

Rosalie and Bella exchanged smiles and headed off to their respective line of kindergarteners. "See you later, Bella!" Rosalie said quickly and Bella nodded enthusiastically. Renee saw the exchange and smiled. "_Oh, thank God! Bella's making friends! Rosalie's a sweet girl. A little pushy sometimes, but she just seems a little protective of others. She'll probably give Emmett a run for his money one day,_" Renee thought.

**Later on the playground…**

At recess, Bella ran off with Edward and Angela to find Emmett, Jasper, and Rose. The three were playing on the merry-go-round when Lauren and her friend Jessica showed up.

"Hey, Eddie," Lauren said flipping her hair.

"Oooh...does Eddie-kins have a girlfriend?" Emmett teased. Edward rolled his eyes at Emmett and turned to Lauren and Jessica.

"Don't call me Eddie, Lauren. The only person who is allowed to call me 'Eddie' is Bella."

"Alright, _Edward_. Whatever. I was just wondering if you wanted to be boyfriend-girlfriend for the day," she said giggling and batting her eyelashes.

Emmett and Jasper howled with laughter. Rose looked at Lauren disgustedly, Angela looked shocked, and Bella got a funny little feeling in the pit of her stomach. "_I hope Edward doesn't drop me for Lauren. Who will I play with then? I like playing with Angela, Rose, Emmett, and Jasper, but it won't be the same without Eddie,_" Bella thought.

"Girls are gross, Lauren. Eww. Bella, Angela, Rose, my sister Alice, my mom, Mrs. Swan, and Mrs. Masen are the only girls who aren't gross. I think you should leave me alone now. Good-bye," Edward said shuddering at the thought of having a girlfriend. "_I really hope Lauren never tries to kiss me! Kissing is so _gross_! EW! GERMS!_" Edward thought.

"You'll be sorry one day, Edward Cullen. One day, you're going to beg me to be your girlfriend. I promise you that!" Lauren screamed. Jessica took Lauren's arm and led the crying girl away.

"Wow, Eddie-kins! Already breaking girls' hearts, huh? You know it's never too early to start thinking about having a girlfriend," Emmett said waggling his eyebrows at Rosalie.

"One. Don't call me Eddie-kins. Two. We're FIVE, Emmett. I'm too young for a girlfriend. And three. Just shut up!" Edward yelled.

"Touchy, touchy, Eddie-kins!" Emmett said laughing

"Emmy, leave him alone!" Bella said dragging Edward and Angela to the swing set. "You shouldn't let him get to you, Edward. You know he's an idiot sometimes. He's just trying to make you angry."

"Whatever," Edward huffed.

"Look! There are three swings free!" Angela said trying to cheer Edward up.

The three picked up their pace to try and get to the swings before any of the other kids got to them. Just as Bella was about to sit down in one of the swings, something came out of nowhere and knocked her down to the ground on her little bum.

"OW!" Bella yelled.

"Thought you were SO cool, didn't you? Having that girl Rosalie and that first-grader sticking up for you in the cafeteria. Well, guess what you're just a little cry-baby!" The bully, James, was back and it looked like he was gunning for Bella. Rosalie and Emmett embarrassed him in the cafeteria, but they weren't around now to protect Bella. James started pulling on Bella's hair _really_ hard – hard enough that tears were forming in Bella's eyes.

Angela ran off to find a teacher while Edward tried to get James to let go.

"_It hurts so bad!_"_ Bella thought. _"_Do I tell him my daddy has a gun? What was it that Emmett said about my thumb? Oh, yeah! Make sure it's not tucked inside my fist!_" With that Bella balled up her little fist and punched James as hard as she could in his pudgy gut. James staggered backward, letting go of Bella's hair, and knocking Edward into the ground at the same time.

Bella sat there holding her head and crying when she saw a big group of teachers heading their way. Her mom was the first one to reach her and drew her into a huge hug.

"Are you ok, Bella?" Renee said patting her head and looking her over. One of the first grade teachers, Mr. Stewart, grabbed James and dragged him off to the principal's office while lecturing to him about picking on girls.

Bella was nodding her head and sniffling when Emmett exclaimed, "WAY TO GO, BELLS! Did you remember not to keep your thumb tucked inside your fist?"

Bella smiled half-heartedly and Rosalie smacked Emmett in the back of the head.

Edward was still sitting on the ground and Bella looked over at him. Edward looked sheepish and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Bells. I tried, but he just wouldn't let go of your hair. I'm really sorry!" Edward's face was red and it looked like he might start crying.

Bella crawled away from her mom and sat next to Edward grabbed him in a hug. "It's ok, Edward. I know you tried. James is REALLY strong, though! It's not your fault he's a big meanie."

Renee walked over to them and grabbed them both into a hug. "Come on, you two. Let's go inside and get a snack. What do you say?"

Renee took a quick detour to the cafeteria and asked for two cookies and two cartons of milk and then walked Bella and Edward back to the teacher's lounge, so that Bella could rest on the couch. She and Edward were sitting side by side swinging their legs back and forth when the assistant principal walked in.

"Ah, Renee! I was looking for you! James has been expelled. Mr. Stewart called his parents and they're on their way to pick him up now. It seems the no tolerance rule for bullying applies to even kindergarteners on their first day of school!" The assistant principal looked over at Bella and asked how she was doing.

"I'm fine," Bella said blushing. She hated having all the attention on her.

The bell rang signaling the end of recess. Bella and Edward stepped into the hallway and saw Emmett and the rest of the gang. Angela and Rosalie rushed over and gave Bella hugs.

"So, what'd you guys get? A granola bar or something?" Emmett asked pulling Bella into a headlock.

"Nope," Bella said smugly. "We got cookies!"

"COOKIES! Aw, man! I love cookies!" Emmett yelled. Everyone laughed. Then Jasper nudged Bella and cocked his head in the direction of the office.

James was being dragged out by a tall, lanky man dressed in a nice suit.

"That's it!" The man said. "You're being homeschooled! I'm so sick of you picking on people! Your mom and I never raised you this way! And picking on a girl? What is wrong with you?!?"

Edward looked over at Bella and asked her if she was alright.

"Yeah. I'm great! I pack a pretty mean punch!" Bella said smiling.

"And it's all thanks to ME!" Emmett exclaimed.

"Yeah, because it's really all about you Emmett," Jasper said smacking Emmett in the back of the head.

The group laughed and headed off to class.


	3. Dinner, Emmett, and Makeup?

Just a fluffy, filler chapter.

Thanks, xoxofanpire and incubschic78 for the reviews! And thanks to those who put my story on your favorites list and alerts!

Incubschic78, I have no idea why I am on your alerts. I looked at the list of people who have me on their alerts, and you're not listed. Thanks again for the review, though!

**Dinner, Emmett, and Make-up?**

That night Bella, Edward, and Emmett were telling their parents about their first day of school – well, mostly about Bella and Edward's day as it was a bit more eventful than Emmett's.

"You should've seen her, Dad! She just punched him right in the gut – just like I told her. You know, she made sure she didn't tuck her thumb in! Knocked the fat, little bugger down! Just like that! BAM!!! My little mini-me. I'm so proud," Emmett gushed as he wiped away a fake tear. No one could really tell if he was proud of Bella or of himself. Bella and Edward figured it was more the latter.

Alice was listening intently with her eyes as wide as saucers. "Really, Belly? You punched a guy? That's _so_ cool!" Alice was so impressed.

"Well, I wouldn't go around punching people, Alice," Renee warned. She saw the gleam in Alice's eye. Once Alice had her mind set on something, she usually followed through. "Bella was just defending herself before any of the teachers could get to her. Otherwise, Bella would be in really big trouble if she just went around hitting people."

Esme was glad Renee thwarted any of Alice's big ideas. She, too, noticed that Alice was planning an attack…probably against Edward. With Alice being so short, she was liable to hit Edward somewhere lower than his stomach and Esme really wanted to have grandchildren one day. Alice loved using Edward and Bella as her test-subjects, but she looked up to Bella far too much to ever hit her. "Alice, Mrs. Swan is right. You should never hit people. Always find an adult first if you're in trouble, but if an adult isn't close by then you can defend yourself. Ok?"

"Fine! I just don't understand why, though. I mean, I need to practice, right?" Alice looked completely heartbroken over never getting to punch Edward. She had big plans. Edward could never turn her down when she put on her fake tears and puppy-dog pout. She was planning on asking Edward to play dress-up with her. When he refused, she was going to ask him to be her human punching-bag as another option. She figured Edward would rather get hit than put on a dress, wig, and lipstick.

Charlie just sat there looking at Bella proudly. He never thought she would have the guts to hit a guy. He figured her first course of action would probably be to threaten the kid by telling him her daddy had a gun. This worked out so much better!

Bella, for her part, sat there quietly getting annoyed because she was the topic of conversation. She had no idea why her daddy was just staring at her with tears in his eyes. They weren't sad tears, though. They were happy. She supposed he was pretty proud of her, but why? All she did was defend herself against that big ole meanie, James!

Carlisle noticed that Bella was getting antsy under all the scrutiny, so he turned the conversation to Edward. "So Edward, what happened with you today?"

"Our little Eddie-kins has a girlfriend!" Emmett howled.

All the adults raised their eyebrows and Alice giggled. Bella and Edward smacked their heads on the table.

"Emmett, do NOT call me Eddie-kins and I do NOT have a GIRLFRIEND!" Edward yelled. "Stupid Lauren Mallory wouldn't leave me alone all day today. She kept following me around because _she,_" he pointed to Alice, "kept hugging me this morning in front of everyone! Lauren thought Alice and me hugging was _so_ _cute_!"

Edward just glowered at Alice. He wasn't actually angry with her, but why did she have to be so darn cute?

"HEY! It's not my fault I'm cute! I'm _little,_" Alice said offended.

"You said her last name was 'Mallory'?" Carlisle asked. "I met her mom last year in the emergency room. I was her doctor," Carlisle explained to the other adults. None of the kids were listening. Edward was too angry with Emmett, Bella was worried about Edward, Alice was still offended, and Emmett was thinking about dessert. "Let's just say it sounds like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She kept asking me to dinner even though she had seen my wedding band. I kept saying 'no,' but she just kept pestering me. To top it all off, the woman is married! I feel so bad for her husband."

"Well, you never know…her husband could be just as bad as her. I've heard some things about him. I was the interior designer for his office building. I think he's a lawyer over in Port Angeles. Anyway, there were some ladies gossiping in the lobby one day about him. I heard them hinting that his receptionist isn't just his receptionist," Esme said quietly.

Emmett suddenly asked where dessert was.

"Geez, Emmett. You just had two helpings of everything! How can you still be hungry?" Bella asked.

"I didn't have any broccoli, Bells. That leaves plenty of room for dessert!" Emmett said proudly like he had pulled a fast one. Broccoli was Emmett's least favorite food.

"I made my double chocolate cake, Em. Calm down! But, I think you should have a piece of broccoli first, young man," Renee said.

Emmett groaned, "Yuck!" He found the tiniest piece of broccoli on the serving plate and ate it with a grimace. "Done! Bring on the cake!"

Renee chuckled and went into the kitchen with Esme to get the cake ready while Carlisle and Charlie cleared the table.

Edward was still giving Emmett the stink eye. "Why did you have to tell everyone about, Lauren? What did I ever do to you?" Edward asked.

"Aw, Eddie! You know I'm just joking around with you…just like I do with Bells. It's my way of showing you I care! You're like the little brother I _never_ wanted!" It was just like Emmett to say something nice while putting Edward down at the same time. Edward _almost_ felt flattered. _Almost._

After two helpings of chocolate cake, Emmett followed Bella, Edward, and Alice upstairs to the playroom. Alice started pulling out dresses from a huge trunk of old clothes for everyone to try on while Emmett wandered over to the couch.

"OK! Time for dress up everyone!" Alice announced happily.

"NO WAY, Alice," Bella and Edward yelled.

"There is no way I'm putting on a frilly dress!" Edward cried out.

Alice started pouting and screwed up her face as hard as she could so that she could squeeze out a couple of tears.

"But, I've been here all alone all day! With no one to play with! Do you know how boring it is without you here, Eddie? I missed you s-s-s-so mu-u-ch!" Alice whined.

"Alice! Don't do that to me! You know I can't stand it when you cry! _Fine_! _One_ dress! That's _it_! And no pictures this time! Oh! And no make-up!" Edward finally relented.

Alice bounced up and down and clapped her hands. "Yay! Ok, Bella. I think you should wear _this_ one," Alice said pulling out a blue dress. "Blue always looks good on you.

Bella backed away from Alice. "I never agreed, Alice. You don't fool me with those fake crocodile tears!"

"Belly! Eddie's playing dress up! You have to, too!" Alice said. "You can't miss out on all the fun. Come on. This will be the last time. I promise!"

"That's what you said last time, Alice. No way," Bella said.

"Fine. Be that way. I always get my way, though, Bella. You know that," Alice threatened narrowing her eyes.

Bella was a little scared and looked over to find Emmett to defend her. She saw that Emmett had fallen into a food-induced coma on the couch. Alice looked to where Bella's eyes fell and got a sudden idea.

"Ooh! Emmett's asleep. I know what will be much more fun! I'm going to give Emmett a make-over!" Alice cried with glee.

Edward and Bella breathed a sigh of relief give their momentary reprieve. They went over to the television and started watching _Finding Nemo_ which was a favorite of the two while Alice got out her make-up kit.

An hour later, Alice was almost finished. Edward looked over and got a sudden burst of inspiration. He grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her downstairs to find his dad.

"Dad? Can I borrow the camera for a minute?" Edward asked Carlisle.

"Sure. Why?" Carlisle replied.

"Oh, I just want to capture a moment that Emmett will never want to forget," Edward said.

"What did Alice do?" Carlisle asked suspiciously.

"You'll see," said Bella smirking.

"Hey, Bells! We should be going soon. It's a school night," said Charlie. "Get your brother and come back downstairs, ok?"

"Sure, Daddy!" Bella replied happily.

The two went back upstairs to see Emmett completely made-over. He had white powder on his somewhat tan face, two circles of bright red blush, blue eyeshadow, hot pink lipstick, and black mascara on his face. Bella and Edward tried to keep from laughing so that Alice wouldn't get offended.

"Doesn't he look bee-yoo-ti-ful?" asked Alice.

"Yup, Alice. He's a beauty alright!" Edward said chuckling lightly. "Hey! Sleeping Beauty! Time to get up! Your mom and dad want to go home!" Edward yelled at Emmett while shaking him.

"Huh?" Emmett asked while opening his eyes. "Whew! Guess I conked out, huh? Man, that cake was good! I wonder if there's anymore," Emmett said.

"Hey, Emmett? Do you think I could get a picture of you? I want one for my scrapbook," Bella said.

"Bells, don't you have enough pictures of me? I'm your brother for crying out loud! Aww! What the heck! I wouldn't deny anyone a picture of this handsome face!" Emmett said laughing.

"Oh, thank you, Emmett! One day I'm going to show my kids how handsome their uncle was even when he was six-years-old!" Bella gushed trying not to laugh.

"Say cheese, Emmett!" Edward said.

"CHEESE!" Emmett cried smiling. His lipstick got on his teeth as the camera flashed. "We better go before Dad starts yelling, Bells!"

All four kids stomped down the stairs and the adults looked over.

"Emmett! What is on your face!?" Charlie cried as everyone else laughed. Bella and Edward were rolling on the floor laughing and clutching their stomachs while crying.

"What are you talking about, Dad?" Emmett asked as he rubbed his cheek. He looked at his fingers and saw the bright red blush. "ALICE!"

Alice ran.


	4. Cooties and Carlisle to the Rescue

So, I really didn't mean to focus so much on them being five-years-old, but I feel like that's an important year when you're growing up. Here's one more chapter of them being in kindergarten. I'm not sure if I'm going to do another chapter of them in kindergarten or if I'm going to skip ahead a few years.

Thanks to Mrs-Cullen-410, Rosalie90, GODISAWESOME, and kwfreeman for you reviews! Also thanks to those who added me to their favorites and alerts!

**Cooties and Carlisle to the Rescue**

It was the Friday before Christmas break started and Bella and Edward were finally getting in their groove at school. They were both fairly popular seeing as they were friends with a couple of first graders and Rosalie Hale, the most popular girl in kindergarten. Angela Weber had come out of her shell a bit and also became a good friend to Bella and Edward. Although they were well-liked by everyone, Bella and Edward were still pretty quiet. They had their moments of exuberance, but they mostly stuck by each other…until one day when Edward was talking to Mike Newton during a game of Red Rover.

"Hey, Edward!" Mike said while waiting for the other team to decide who they were going to "send right over."

"What, Mike?" Edward said annoyed. He didn't really like Mike too much. Mike made Bella cry one day by making fun of her messy hair.

"Why are you friends with all those _girls_?" Mike asked. "They have cooties, you know. You can catch it if you hang around them too much."

"_What_ are _cooties_?" Edward asked.

"It's a disease that girls give to boys. You can't get them from your mom or anything, so don't worry about that. I think they go away when you become an adult or something like that. That's what my cousin says anyway. I'm not going to risk getting them, though, so I'm going to steer clear of all girls until I get older," Mike explained.

Edward thought about what Mike was telling him. He had never heard about cooties. His dad was a doctor and never warned him about it. Surely, if there were some disease he could catch from Bella, his dad would have told him.

"Well, what about my sister? Can I get them from her?" Edward asked worriedly. "She's four."

"Hmmm…I don' know. I'll have to check with my cousin. I'm sure you're ok hanging out with her since you're related or maybe girls don't get the cooties until they're five," Mike reasoned. "Oh! It's our turn! Hey, guys, who should we send over?"

"I say Bella. She'll be easy to catch!" said Tyler one of Mike's friends said.

"What!? I don't think so. We might catch cooties, man," Mike said.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot all about that! Man, who knew? Cooties! I knew girls were gross and all but _cooties_? Oh, well! How about Ben? He's a little guy," Tyler said.

"RED ROVER, RED ROVER, SEND BEN RIGHT OVER!" Edward screamed with the rest of his team.

"Well, what exactly happens to you when you catch cooties?" Edward asked Mike once they captured Ben.

"I know it can make you really itchy. I'm not sure what else. My cousin didn't really tell me much. I didn't really ask…don't really care," Mike said shrugging. "All I know is I don't want it, and if you don't want it, you should stay away from all those girls," Mike advised. Edward just nodded his head and thought about the itch he had on his arm that morning. Hmmm.

By now, recess had ended and strangely enough, all the boys ended up on one side with the girls on the other. Renee and Elizabeth Masen, Bella and Edward's teacher, noticed this and figured out what was going on.

"I think we've got a cooties outbreak, Liz," Renee said to Mrs. Masen.

"You noticed that, too? Think we should talk to them?" Liz asked Renee.

"Nah. I went through this with Emmett last year. No matter how much I tried to explain to him that girls didn't have cooties, he still wouldn't go near them. I even had Carlisle Cullen talk to him. He wouldn't even believe a doctor. I felt so bad for Bella! Emmett wouldn't go anywhere near her. He made us let him eat in the living room so he wouldn't have to sit at the same table as her. I tried reasoning with him. I pointed out that Edward hadn't caught them, but he just said that it was because Edward was a girly-boy. It was almost five months before he would look at her without cringing! Then suddenly one day, it was like he didn't care anymore. Walked right up to Bella and gave her a hug and everything! They just have to figure it out for themselves, I guess," Renee said. Liz laughed and helped usher some of the kids into the school.

Edward rushed inside the classroom trying to stay away from Bella. Instead of sitting at his regular table, he sat down next to Ben Cheney, the small, quiet boy they chose during Red Rover in lieu of Bella. He didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her that she had a disease.

When Bella got into the classroom, she made a beeline for Edward. "Edward! What are you doing sitting over here?" she asked confused.

"Um…I just thought I'd sit closer to the board! I think I might need glasses or something. I haven't been seeing too well lately!" Edward said quickly thinking of an excuse.

"Oh! Why didn't you say something? You should tell your dad. Maybe he can take you to get glasses over break!" Bella said innocently.

"Oh. Yeah! I…I'll do that. I promise. I think you should go back over to your table, though. _Way_ over _there_," Edward said pointing to their usual table in the back.

"Ok. I guess I'll see you after school after class, then. I have to get my duffel bag from my mom. Remember, Emmett and I are staying with you for three days! We can walk to your car together!" Bella said.

Edward could tell she was pretty upset with the idea of him not sitting with her for the rest of class. She walked back to her table with her shoulders slumped and her head down. It was kind of weird for him to not sit with her. "_It's going to be a long time until we become adults. Forget that! It's going to be a long three days!_" Edward thought.

Bella and Emmett were staying with the Cullens while their parents went to Seattle for a conference that Charlie had to attend for work. Renee wanted to do some last-minute Christmas shopping while they were there and figured Bella and Emmett would get bored, so Esme and Carlisle happily agreed to take the two kids. They were over at the Cullen home so much that it didn't matter to them.

When the bell rang signaling the end of school, all of the children screamed with glee. No more school for two-and-a-half weeks! Everyone would miss their friends and all, but Christmas break meant sleeping in and staying up late!

Edward saw that Bella was hugging Angela good-bye and decided to book it out of the classroom. He had to get to the car before Bella, so that he could get the seat in the back of the SUV his mom drove. It had three rows and most of the time Emmett sat in the back by himself with all the backpacks and whatever else Esme put back there while Alice, Bella, and Edward sat in the middle row. Edward was scared to be so close to Bella on the way home.

As Edward approached the SUV, he saw Emmett already opening up the back gate to crawl in.

"Hey, Em! I can sit back there today!" Edward said breathlessly. Emmett just looked at him like he was out of his mind.

"Why are you sweating so much? Did you run out here or something? Your face is all red, too. You ok?" Emmett grilled.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine! Great even!" Edward replied eagerly wiping the sweat off his face.

"Whatever, dude. I'm sitting back here. It's my seat. It's too crowded in the middle row. Go take your seat now, little one," Emmett said patting Edward on his head.

As Edward was rounding the car to open the back door, he saw Bella running up to the car. Bella caught her foot on a crack and looked like she was going to go flying through the air. Edward made a move to run and catch her, but suddenly held himself back and closed his eyes waiting for the fall. But when he opened his eyes, he saw Bella catch herself from falling. She smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

Bella looked up and saw Edward at the back door of the car and frowned.

"I was looking for you! I thought you'd wait for me after class, so we could walk together. What happened? Angela wanted to say good-bye to you, too," Bella said with sad eyes.

"Erm…well, I, uh…I thought I'd walk out with some of the guys. I won't see them for almost three weeks, but I'll be seeing you probably every day! Figured I should say 'bye' to them. Yeah! That's it," Edward lied.

Bella narrowed her eyes at him. She knew he was lying. He was talking very quickly. He had a bead of sweat forming on his forehead and he was running his hands through hair. He was currently sporting hair that looked like devil's horns. How fitting!

"You're lying. I can tell. Why'd you run out?" Bella said getting angry.

"Kids, get in the car!" Esme called out of the rolled down window. Bella shot one last glare at Edward and crawled into the car next to Alice. Edward took a deep breath and sat next to Bella.

Esme was a good driver, but she was fast. At every curve, the kids were being thrown around in the back seat – especially Bella seeing as how she had nothing to hold onto. Bella kept bumping into Edward causing him to flinch. They were getting closer to the Cullen residence when Edward just couldn't take it anymore.

"BELLA! COULD YOU STOP TOUCHING ME!" Edward yelled.

His outburst startled everyone in the car. Bella blushed and looked at Edward with tears in her eyes.

"I can't help it. There's not a lot of room back here," Bella said quietly.

"Dude, don't yell at my sister!" Emmett yelled at Edward.

Alice meanwhile was trying to comfort Bella. She grabbed hold of Bella's arm and said, "It's ok, Belly. You can sit closer to me." She then glared at Edward and pulled Bella closer to her.

"Edward, what's wrong with you?" Esme asked. "You shouldn't yell at people. You're all going to be touching back there. You're sitting right next to each other. Apologize to Bella! NOW!" Esme ordered.

"Sorry, Bells," Edward whispered.

"It's ok," Bella sniffled.

The ride up the long driveway was silent. Bella was quietly sniffling while Alice hugged Bella's arm and rested her head on Bella's shoulder whispering comforting words like "Don't pay attention to him, Belly. He's just being mean!" Emmett glared at Edward thinking of ways to get back at him for making his sister cry. No one ever made Emmett Swan's little sister cry and got away with it!

When Esme put the car in park, Edward bolted from the car and ran to the front door of the house while everyone else slowly made their way up. Esme unlocked the front door and let an impatient Edward inside. He ran up to his room, slammed the door, and locked it.

Esme looked around at the confused kids and said, "Well, let's just let Edward have some space. Hopefully, whatever is bothering him will pass. I can make a snack for everyone! Are you guys hungry?"

Everyone shook their heads sadly and frowned up at Esme – even Emmett.

"Why don't you put your bag in Alice's room, Bella. Emmett, you can put your stuff in the guest room. You might be more comfortable in there," Esme said trying to make everyone feel better. "You guys can go outside and play after if you want."

The three kids trudged up the stairs and put their stuff away. Bella threw herself on Alice's bed and Alice crawled onto the bed and lay down next to her.

Emmett walked into the room and sat on the other side of Bella. "The little brat won't come out of his room. I knocked on his door and he told me to leave him alone."

"I want mommy," Bella whispered. "I wanna go home!"

"NO, Belly!" Alice said. "We're supposed to have fun this weekend! Mommy said we can go to the children's Christmas party at the hospital and hand out presents. We'll see Santa there! Then, we're going to the Charles Dickens' festival again! I promise we'll have so much fun. Remember last year? Emmett drank so much hot chocolate and ate so many cookies, he puked on Santa Claus?"

"Yeah, Bells! I promise I'll do my best to puke on Santa again!" Emmett said laughing. "Besides, it won't be much fun with Mom and Dad. We can't go home. We'd have to go to Seattle with them. Mom will drag us shopping the whole time and Dad will be in conferences." Emmett looked at Bella's tear-streaked face and sighed, "I guess if you really want to, we can call Mom now. They're not leaving until Dad gets off from work."

"I guess we can stay," Bella resigned. She knew Emmett would rather eat broccoli than go shopping, and he wouldn't stay with the Cullens without her there.

"Come on, Belly! Let's go see if Mommy will make the cookies now! We can help decorate. They're for the party tomorrow!" Alice suggested happily.

Emmett beamed at the idea of cookies. "What are we waiting for? Come on!" he said running out of the room.

Meanwhile, Esme was downstairs putting things away when Carlisle called.

"Hello, dear," Esme said answering the phone.

"Hi! Everything ok?" Carlisle asked. He noticed the sad tone in Esme's voice.

"Well, not really. Edward yelled at Bella in the car for no reason. Bella kept bumping into him while I was driving and he told her not to touch him anymore. I have no idea what's wrong with him. I've never heard him yell at Bella before. He ran into his room and locked the door as soon as we got home," Esme explained.

"Well, with your driving it's understandable that Bella would keep bumping into him," Carlisle joked.

"_Carlisle_," Esme said in a warning voice.

"Erm…just kidding, dear. You know I love your driving. You're an excellent driver! Have I told you how much I love you?" Carlisle said.

Esme laughed.

"Hmmm…Edward yelled at Bella for bumping into him? Did you talk to Renee?" Carlisle asked.

"No. I was going to call her after I finished putting things away. I didn't want to bother her because I know she's finishing some work up at the school. Then she has to rush off to pick up Charlie so they can go to Seattle. Why?" Esme asked.

"Well, around this time last year, Emmett heard about the cooties. Renee had me talk to him. That kid was pretty hilarious when he told me about the cooties. According to him, you start foaming at the mouth and go into convulsions when you catch it. I didn't know they still believed in cooties anymore! I told him about the cootie shot and he went running from the office clutching his bum! Wouldn't let me anywhere near him! I guess he was still traumatized from when I had to give him a shot in his bum," Carlisle said laughing.

"Oh, no. What do I do? Should I talk to him?" Esme asked.

"I can talk to him tomorrow. Hopefully, I can just tell him the cooties aren't real and I won't have to tell him about the shot. He won't let me give him a shot without Bella there to hold his hand. Last year, Bella had to sit behind a curtain to hold his hand because he didn't want her to see his bum, but he wouldn't let me give him the shot without Bella there. I don't think he'll let her near him this time! I'm not getting home until late tonight. I have to go to work pretty early tomorrow to check up on a couple of patients, so I'll probably just talk to him when you bring the kids by for the children's Christmas party. Hopefully, Emmett won't puke on Santa this year!" Carlisle said.

"Ok. I'll try and keep him calm until then. They won't have to see each other until dinner really. How did Emmett finally get over it? Maybe Emmett can talk to him," Esme said.

"One day a few months later, I tackled him while he was playing a videogame. I gave him his 'shot.' I'm not sure he's the best person to explain the cooties to Edward, though. I kind of have a feeling he still believes in them. Can you imagine? Edward might be scarred for life," Carlisle said laughing.

"I guess you're right. Ok. I'll see you tonight when you get home. Have a good night, Dear. Don't forget to eat dinner!" Esme said.

"Give the kids a kiss good-night for me," Carlisle said hanging up the phone.

The next day, Carlisle went to the children's wing of the hospital and looked for his family. Just as he entered the room where the party was being held, he saw the kids and Esme. Bella was sitting with a little girl and helping her open a present. Edward and Alice were helping Esme hand out presents. Emmett was handing out cookies and sneaking one from the plate.

"Hey! I was hoping to catch you here!" Carlisle said approaching everyone. Alice squealed and hugged his legs. Emmett raised a fist for Carlisle to bump, and Esme gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Bella! Edward!" Carlisle said. Bella smiled and Edward grunted out a hello.

"Hey, Edward. Can I talk to you for a minute? We can go up to my office," Carlisle said.

"I guess," Edward said following his dad into the elevator. The two were silent until they reached Carlisle's office.

"So, how's school? Things going ok?" Carlisle asked when they got into his office. Edward was sitting in the chair and Carlisle was resting against his desk.

"I guess," Edward said.

"Son, have you heard about the cooties?" Carlisle finally said.

"Why didn't you ever tell me? I'm your son! Bella could have given me a _disease_, Dad!" Edward said quickly realizing that his dad did indeed know about the disease.

"Edward. The cooties aren't real. It's something little kids made up a long time ago," Carlisle explained to his son.

"Not real? I don't think so, Dad. Everyone knows about them. Mike Newton's cousin told him about them. His cousin's _seven_. Besides, why would anyone make up a disease?" Edward said with a scowl on his face.

"So, you believe a _seven-year-old_ over your father who's a _doctor_?" Carlisle said laughingly.

Edward thought about it and came to his final conclusion. "Yup!"

"Alright. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Now, I have to warn you. This won't hurt, and it's not in your bum. There's a cootie shot. It protects you from the cooties, and you and Bella can play again. All you have to do is give me your arm. You can close your eyes if you want," Carlisle said.

Edward just stared at his father. He was thinking over the options in his head. He could get a shot which might hurt or he could avoid Bella until they were adults.

"Humor me and trust your old man, huh?" Carlisle said when he saw the indecision in Edward's eyes.

Edward gave Carlisle his arm.

When Edward closed his eyes, Carlisle pulled up Edward's sleeve. Edward could feel a tickling sensation and heard his father say, "Circle, circle, dot, dot. Now you've got your cooties shot!"

Edward opened his eyes when it was over and said, "That's it? I'm protected now?"

"Yup! I promise. It's a secret cooties protection shot that doctors came up with a long time ago. I had one when I was about your age. Cooties-free for my entire life!" Carlisle said with a smile.

Edward was still a bit suspicious.

"Let's go downstairs. You can give Bella a hug and if you break out into the cooties, you can ban me from your life forever!" Carlisle said.

"Alright," Edward said. He took Carlisle's hand and together they went back to the party. He spotted Bella over in a corner playing with the girl she was helping earlier. He looked up at his father uncertainly. Carlisle smiled at him encouragingly and squeezed his hand. Edward screwed up his face in determination, let go of Carlisle's hand, and walked over to Bella.

When he reached Bella and the little girl, Bella looked up confused. Edward reached over, hugged her, and waited. Nothing happened. He wasn't itchy or anything like what Mike said. He looked over at Carlisle and smiled.

"Hey, Bells. Sorry about yesterday," Edward said.

Bella was just happy Edward was back to normal and didn't say anything but, "It's ok." They spent the rest of the party singing carols with all of the children in the hospital.

After the party ended, all of the Cullens plus Bella and Emmett headed to the Charles Dickens' festival. They were going to have lunch there and check out all of the activities. They sat near a bunch of other kids from their school in the eating area.

They were waiting for Carlisle and Esme to bring their lunch when Bella asked Edward why he was so mean the day before.

"Cooties, Bella," Edward said simply.

"Cooties?" Bella asked.

"Yeah. It's some disease girls give boys. Don't worry, though. My dad gave me a shot to protect me," Edward said smiling.

At this point, Lauren Mallory passed by their table and overheard the conversation.

"Girls can get cooties from boys, too, Bella. You shouldn't get so close to Edward," Lauren warned loudly in a nasally voice.

Carlisle and Esme had just reached the table when Lauren said this. All around them kindergarteners were talking in excited voices about the cooties.

Carlisle whistled loudly getting all of the kids' attention.

"Alright," he said. "Everyone who's scared of getting the cooties, raise your hands." All of Bella and Edward's classmates present at the festival raised their hands while the parents laughed.

"Ok. I want two lines – one for boys, one for girls. There's something called a cooties shot. It doesn't hurt! Edward can tell you," Carlisle said looking over at Edward.

"It doesn't! I promise. And it's not in your bum, either! It's in your arm. It just tickles a bit," Edward said smiling.

Bella started the girls' line and Mike Newton started the boys' line. All around them parents looked on and smiled remembering their own cooties shots.

Angela's dad, a minister, was overheard saying maybe the cooties weren't such a bad thing. It would keep the boys away from his little girl. He eyed that little Ben Cheney boy who was talking to Angela earlier. He thought the kid looked kind of shady for a five-year-old. His wife just laughed and smacked him in the stomach drawing laughter from all the other parents.

Bella bravely walked up to Carlisle behind the Christmas tree where Esme set up a makeshift examination area and stuck her arm out. "It won't hurt, right? And I'll get to play with Eddie and not get this cooties disease?" she asked.

"I promise it won't hurt, Bells. After this, you won't have to worry about the cooties ever again," Carlisle said smiling.

Bella closed her eyes and laughed at the tickling sensation as Carlisle recited, "Circle, circle, dot, dot. Now you've got your cooties shot."

She looked up at Carlisle when he was finished and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Dr. Cullen!" She walked out of the "examination room" and announced, "It didn't hurt!"

She ran off and sat down next to Edward. They ate their chicken nuggets and fruit cups contentedly watching Carlisle give the rest of the kids their shots. Rose was just finishing up her shot when Edward suggested they go talk to her.

Edward fell down when he tried to take a step. He looked towards his feet and saw that the laces of his shoes were tied together.

"_That's_ for making Belly Bean cry, Eddie-kins!" Emmett said laughing.

Bella looked at Edward and shrugged. "That's my brother. Don't make me cry again," she said simply as she helped Edward with his shoe laces. Alice jumped up to give Emmett a high-five.

**Thanks for reading! **


	5. Here Comes the Bride

A/N: So sorry I haven't updated in a really long time. I got a bit of writer's block and then my grandmother passed away, so I haven't really felt much like writing. I'll try to get back on track now.

Thanks to all those who've added me to their alerts and reviewed.

**Here Comes the Bride**

"Oh, Belly! I'm so excited and a bit nervous!" Alice exclaimed while trying to apply a not-so-subtle shade of pink lipstick on a squirming Bella. "Will you please hold still? Sheesh! You'd think I was making you eat snails or something!"

"Alice! I think I'd rather eat snails," Bella replied grumpily. "I really don't think this shade goes well with my complexion. Maybe just some lip gloss?" Bella complained. She really didn't want the lip gloss either, but it was better than the hot pink lipstick Alice was trying to get her to wear.

"Fine! Now hold still, please. Rose, can you start curling Bella's hair?" Alice relented.

"Sure," Rose answered. Rose was already dressed, hair and make-up ready. She looked perfect. No surprise.

"I still can't believe you actually talked Jasper into having a wedding. I thought he said he'd never get married. What happened to joining the army and traveling the world?" Bella asked.

"Oh, pssh. Jasper knows that he can't live without me. Who would help him pick out his outfits every day?" Alice said.

"Yeah, because Jasper is so worried about whether his t-shirt goes with his flannel," Rose said laughing at Alice.

Alice glared at Rose and said, "Well, one day he'll learn to appreciate me for my skills."

Bella just frowned at Alice and struggled to keep still so that Rose wouldn't burn her with the curling iron.

At that moment, Esme and Renee walked into the room and gushed. "Oh, girls! You all look so grown up and beautiful!"

Alice and Rose beamed while Bella scowled. Alice noticed Bella's disgruntled appearance and elbowed her. "Thanks, Mom and Aunt Renee!" Alice squealed.

"Alice, your father and I wanted you to have this. It's your something old," Esme said handing over a small box. Alice opened it and saw an old locket. "My grandmother gave it to me when I was your age. I just thought you might want to have it today."

Alice squealed and threw herself into her mother's arms. "Thank you, Mom!"

Renee came forward with another box. "Here's your something new, Alice. Charlie and I saw it in the store the other day and thought it would be perfect for you. We noticed you admiring Bella's antique barrettes and saw some that looked almost like them, but new of course."

"Oh, thank you, Aunt Renee!" Alice again threw herself at yet another person. Luckily, Renee had already braced herself.

"Here!" Bella tossed another box at Alice. "Don't lose it. It's your something borrowed and something blue. It's from me and Rose…and Edward sort of."

Alice opened the box and saw Bella's silver book charm on a blue ribbon that matched the bridesmaids' dresses. Bella never took the charm off. It was a present from Edward for her fifth birthday and she wore it around her neck ever day.

"The blue ribbon was my idea! You can wear it around your wrist since you have the locket to wear around your neck," said Rose.

"Thanks, guys!" Alice said pulling Bella and Rose into a tight group hug. "You're the best maid of honor and bridesmaid ever!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't lose it. Edward would kill you. He pulled a lot of weeds to save up for that charm," Bella said annoyed.

"Of course, I won't lose it Bella. I'll give it right back to you after the ceremony. Don't worry your pretty little head," Alice said smiling.

"Well, we'd better get out there. We'll see you girls in a few minutes," Esme said hugging Alice one last time.

As soon as Esme and Renee were out the door, Carlisle walked in smiling. "Ladies! My, my! Don't you look pretty! How's my little angel?"

"I'm so excited, Daddy! Today, I'm marrying the man of my dreams!" Alice exclaimed.

Bella rolled her eyes.

"Bella, could you be a little happier for me? A girl only gets married once, you know," Alice said annoyed.

"Sure, sure. We should get going. Everyone's waiting," Bella said putting on a fake smile.

"That's better, Belly," Alice said approving Bella's smile. "One day, you and Edward will be getting married, and you'll understand why I'm so happy."

"Alice! No way! Edward and I are not getting married. Ew! That'd be like marrying my brother! Ew! Gross! Out, out, out !" Bella was hitting the side of her head trying to knock the picture of her marrying Edward out.

"Whatever, Belly. I have a way of knowing these things," Alice reproached.

"Ok. Let's go. We've got lots of people waiting to see my beautiful little girl walk down the aisle," Carlisle said trying to diffuse the situation.

The quartet walked down the stairs and to the back door of the Cullen house. Edward was sitting at the other end of the lawn playing the piano while Emmett, Jasper, and Tyler stood next to him waiting for the proceedings to start. The yard was lined with white chairs occupied by family and friends who were talking quietly to one another.

"Ok, Rose. Go! Belly, go!" Alice coaxed.

Rose and Bella walked down the aisle and then Alice gave Edward the thumbs up to begin the wedding march. Suddenly, everyone in the audience started giggling as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" was heard.

"Edward!" Alice yelled. "You're supposed to play 'Here Comes the Bride!'"

"Alice! I've only been playing piano for two weeks. My feet don't even reach the pedals, yet!" Edward retorted. More laughter was heard from the first, second, and third grade classmates of the arguing duo.

Charlie was trying really hard not to laugh as Renee kept elbowing him in the side while giving Edward a smile of encouragement. Other wives were trying to keep their husbands from laughing also as they saw Edward turning bright red from embarrassment.

"Fine! Ugh! I swear, Edward!" Alice grumbled as she finally reached the altar with a laughing Carlisle. "I ask you to do one thing for me, and you mess it up!"

"Whatever, Alice. Next time hire a real pianist," Edward responded. Carlisle smiled at his children as they scowled at one another, patted Alice on the head, and stepped around her makeshift white train of toilet paper to join his wife.

Suddenly, Emmett's voice bellowed over the bickering. "Alright! Now that that abomination of a song is over, we can start!"

Bella looked at Emmett surprised. Actually, she wasn't the only one that looked surprised. Charlie looked ready to fall over and Renee's eyes widened hearing their son using a word that had more than two syllables.

"Hee! See, mom? I told you I learned my vocabulary words last week. Do you want me to spell it for you? A-B-O…"

"EMMETT! Can we get on with it? This tie is choking me," Jasper said tugging on his tie. "I can't believe I lost that stupid bet."

"Bet?" Bella asked.

"Hey, hey, people! Wedding going on here!" Alice yelled.

"Oh, yeah. Ahem. Right. So, we are gathered today to unite Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale in holy bologna," Emmett said seriously.

"Matrimony!" Charlie coughed.

"Yeah! What my dad said. Thanks, Dad!" Emmett said.

"No problem, son!" Charlie yelled as everyone laughed.

"Does anyone object to this malimony?" Emmett asked.

Edward and Bella yelled, "Matrimony!" in frustration.

"Whatever. No one objects? Sweet. I would object because I think this whole thing is stupid. I can't believe you're actually doing this, man…"

"Emmett!" the wedding party yelled.

"Fine! Do you, Alice, take this idiot to be your husband?" Emmett asked.

Alice looked up at Jasper with wide, adoring eyes and said, "Yes!"

"Do you, Jasper, take this annoying but cute pixie to be your wife?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, whatever," Jasper said tugging at his tie again.

"Ok, then exchange rings," Emmett said handing over a cherry ring pop to Alice and a gumball machine ring to Jasper. "You may now kiss the bride!"

"Ew! No way! I object!" Jasper said finally tugging off his tie.

"Fine! Man up, dude. Just give her a hug, then!" Emmett said. "We've got cake to eat! It's chocolate! Hurry!"

Jasper and Alice hugged and Emmett proclaimed, "I present to you Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale! Let's go eat cake!"

Edward started playing "Chopsticks" and Alice just glared at him as Jasper sucked on his ring pop.

**At the Reception**

"Man! This is some good cake!" Emmett exclaimed over the chatter of the adults and kids. "Good job, Aunt Esme!"

Esme gave Emmett a smile and laughed when she saw him yank a piece of toilet paper from Alice's faux train to wipe his mouth.

"Emmett! You're ruining the lines of the dress!" Alice screamed and punched Emmett in the stomach.

Over by the swimming pool, Bella dipped her toe in the water. She wanted to get as far away from the commotion of the fake wedding reception as possible. Edward walked up to her with two glasses of punch and a huge piece of cake in his hands. He sat down next to her, pulled off his socks and shoes, and rolled his pant legs up. He then threw his feet in the pool and sprinkled Bella with water in the process.

"Eep!" Bella squealed.

"Oops. Sorry, Bells," Edward said sheepishly as he pulled two forks out of his pocket. "Cake?"

"So, what was the bet?" Bella asked as she and Edward shared the piece of cake sitting between them.

"Well, Emmett bet Jasper on who could eat the most hot dogs without puking first. Jasper lost. Obviously," Edward said running his hand through his hair.

"What was Emmett's punishment if he lost?" Bella asked.

"Well, he would have had to streak around the police station while your dad was on duty," Edward said laughing. "I think he kind of wanted to lose. He looked disappointed when Jasper up-chucked first."

"I'm glad Emmett won. Daddy would've been so embarrassed," Bella said giggling. "He probably would've thrown Emmett in jail. I take it back. I wish Emmett had lost."

Edward smirked and said, "Me, too."

The two heard a loud "Cannonball!" and were suddenly drenched in water.

"Emmett!" Charlie and Renee yelled as everyone around them laughed.

"Oh, no! Belly's dress! It's ruined!" cried Alice. Jasper walked up to her and yanked some more toilet paper off her faux train and handed it to her to wipe the tears from her eyes.

**Sorry if this sucks. I just needed to get back into the groove again, and this is what I came up with. Let me know what you think! And again. So sorry it took so long to update.**


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